MEDIA houses from all over the country yesterday signed an enhanced Media Code of Conduct on the eve of elections yet to be announced, and while the advice of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission about the media creating a peaceful atmosphere still echoes.
Those signing the historic Code at the Grand Coastal Inn,  Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, included Editor in Chief of this newspaper, Mark Ramotar; and owner of CNS Channel Six, Chandra Narine Sharma, and his wife Savitree. Glenn Lall signed for the Kaieteur News, while Cheryl Springer signed on behalf of Stabroek News. Notably absent was Editor in Chief of Stabroek News, Anand Persaud, who had a death in the family during last week. He will add his signature to the document tomorrow, it was reported.
The signing took place after the conclusion of a workshop for media workers on reporting on elections and their adherence to the new Media Code of Conduct. Young and old reporters, editors, media owners and representatives of media associations signed on to the code, totalling over 50 signatures.
Addressing the gathering, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr. Steve Surujbally, charged President of the Guyana Media Houses Owners’ Association, Abraham Poole, with carrying the message to the members of that body that they should “fight on my side.” On the opening day of the training, Dr. Surujbally expressed the hope that the media will play their role in creating the atmosphere for peaceful elections.
Referring to the closure of the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) by the Government of Guyana last year, Dr Surujbally said, “This nonsense that happened last year for no valid reason…”
He speculated that maybe it happened because the media were not with GECOM on the issue. He called the continuous education of journalists about elections coverage a must for there to be professional coverage of the upcoming elections.
“It bothers me that some of the journalists [are deficient] in the skills relative to understanding the electoral process,” he said. “You cannot be covering elections if you don’t know the difference between continuous registration and house-to- house registration, residency verification and claims and objections. You have to know the differences. If you do not know the differences, there is an open-door policy at GECOM. We have a PR man. Ask him. If you cannot get him, my door is always open and my phones are always ready to be answered,” he said.
“It bothers me that some of their journalists still don’t understand certain basic things about the coverage of the elections,” he said. He appealed to the editors of newspapers to do their utmost to accommodate investigative journalists. “If the MMU had been in place, perhaps the imbroglio we have might not have taken place,” Dr. Surujbally said, referring to what he likes to call ‘the CNS 6 incident’ and not the Sharma incident.
“I am asking here [that you] allow your employees to do their jobs. Do not hurt them in their development because you have your own agenda,” he urged media owners.
US Ambassador to Guyana, Dr. Brent Hardt, speaking at the ceremony, said that the training which culminated in the signing of the document is another manifestation of the support provided by the US to the people of Guyana to strengthen and support democracy.
“I am delighted to partner with GECOM and with the University of Guyana in this effort. A free and vibrant media is an indispensible foundation to the strong democratic process,” he said.
He said that, since the 1990s, the US Government has been active in Guyana to support democracy and good governance, “so there is a well established history of partnership with our government and with other development partners, including CIDA, UK DfID, EU, UNDP Commonwealth Secretariat, the OAS and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).”
He recalled that the Carter Center played a key role “in the 1992 elections, considered the first free and fair elections in Guyana’s history. As a result of those elections a permanent elections commission was established,” he said. He added that, since then, the U.S.’ support has included assistance to GECOM to boost its capacity in overseeing the conduct of general and regional elections. “Elections are the ultimate means by which citizens can make their voices heard, and select their leaders and select the people that they feel will best represent their interests,” the US Ambassador said.
He said that given the critical role of elections in democracy, the transparent and fair conduct and administration of elections is essential, guaranteeing the integrity of the vote and the confidence of the voters in the outcome.
“It is in this context that the media play such a critical role. Without the free and fair exchange of ideas and information, the lifeblood of democracy, citizens will not have the information to make an informed choice. It is my hope that the training that has been conducted over the last two days has increased awareness and understanding of and [fostered a] renewed commitment to the Media Code of Conduct for elections. It is this commitment that will help ensure free, fair and peaceful elections,” he said.
“I encourage all media representatives here today, owners (and) publishers, to renew your commitment to uphold the code; to be fair, balanced and accurate as you engage in your noble profession,” he said.
Members of the diplomatic corps were at the event. They included Geert Heikens of the European Commission, Mexican Ambassador to Guyana Fernando Sandoval, and officials of USAID and other development agencies.
One of the main organizers of the two-day training workshop, Dr. Paloma Mohamed of the University of Guyana’s Centre for Communication Studies, said yesterday’s signing represented a commitment and pledge “to yourself and people of Guyana.”
“We trust the media to bring the world to us. This moment is more than symbolic. It has to be real, and practised and adhered to,” she said, thanking the USAID for their support.